Dr. Don Smith, creator of pro-life film ‘The Silent Scream,’ has died
Operation Rescue has announced the passing of Dr. Don Smith, age 94, on January 30, 2019. Smith was a scientist and research engineer and the creator of the 1984 pro-life film “The Silent Scream.”
“It is with great sadness that we must inform you that Dr. Don Smith passed away,” Operation Rescue said in a statement. “… He was a warm friend with great intelligence who used his gifts to glorify God and save innocent lives from abortion.”
Dr. Don Smith (Photo: Operation Rescue)
In 1970, Smith founded Crusade for Life after attending a Billy Graham “crusade” at the Los Angelus Coliseum. It is one of the oldest pro-life groups in the nation.
In the 1980s, Smith teamed up with former abortionist and NARAL leader Dr. Bernard Nathanson to make “The Silent Scream” using actual video of a 13-week old preborn child being killed by a suction aspiration abortion. The movie was released at a press conference in the White House and quickly became a tool of the pro-life movement to show the horror and destruction of abortion. It was translated into seven languages.
Article continues below
Dear Reader,
In 2026, Live Action is heading straight where the battle is fiercest: college campuses.
We have a bold initiative to establish 100 Live Action campus chapters within the next year, and your partnership will make it a success!
Your support today will help train and equip young leaders, bring Live Action’s educational content into academic environments, host on-campus events and debates, and empower students to challenge the pro-abortion status quo with truth and compassion.
Invest in pro-life grassroots outreach and cultural formation with your DOUBLED year-end gift!
Smith also acted as a sidewalk counselor at an abortion clinic, helping thousands of pregnant women. In addition to “The Silent Scream,” he made several other pro-life films including “Conceived in Liberty,” “Your Crisis Pregnancy,” and “The Right to Kill.” And in 1999, Biola University awarded him with an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree.
His most recent project for Crusade for Life has been working on a Constitutional Life Amendment to end abortion in American permanently.
His wife of 55 years, Virginia, preceded him in death, as did his daughter Rebecca. He is survived six living children: Allen, Philip, Marcie, Andy, Pam, and Claudia, as well as 18 grandchildren.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Human Interest
